NDLEA raids Aba market, arrests four over hard drugs

CHIDI ASONYE writes that the Abia State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested four people in Aba, the commercial nerve of the state for drug offences.

The Authority South-East findings in Aba revealed that the suspects, Sunny Opai (27 years), Obinna Daniel (38 years), Ese Emmanuel (22 years) and Igwe Agu (19 years) were arrested when officers of the NDLEA raided one of the textile markets (Ahia Ohuru). The Commander of NDLEA, Bamidele Akingbade confirmed the arrests of the suspects.

According to him, the suspects were arrested when personnel of the agency, acting on intelligence over the nefarious activities of the drug addicts which is posing threat to traders and visitors alike, raided the market.

His words: “Because of our inability to consistently raid and dislodge them from the part of Ahia Ohuru (New Market) where they were staying in the past to carry out their illegal activity, they regrouped and started unleashing mayhem such as raping of victims, snatching of phones, dispossessing victims of their valuables, we raided the place and arrested the suspects while the military gave us protection.”

Akingbade said the agency has secured a place near the market to station an outpost that will be manned on 24 hours basis by its personnel to adequately checkmate the sale and smoking of hard and illicit drugs within and around the market.

The NDLEA boss who disclosed that a committee on drugs and narcotics made up by its personnel and officials of the state ministry of health that has a pivotal role to play in the war against drug abuse would soon meet with the governor of the state to discuss on ways to ensure that activities of hard and illicit drug dealers were nipped in the bud permanently.

He also stated that efforts to involve the local government executives and traditional institutions across the 17 local councils of the state in the campaign against the sale and consumption of psychotropic substances would soon commence with aggressive rural campaign.